Dentures

Dentures are removable prostheses that replace missing teeth and associated structures (gums and bone). They can provide you with better soft tissue support (lips and cheeks). Initially, they may feel foreign particularly if you had not previously had the missing teeth replaced. This may cause hyper-salivation (increase salivary flow) in the first few hours. Speech can get affected particularly with upper dentures. As you get used to the dentures, these symptoms will subside.

The dentures are kept in place by clasps (metal projections), muscle control (tongue, cheek and lip muscles) or a combination of both. Eating with the dentures requires some practice. Start with soft foods cutting everything into small pieces. Do not use the front teeth to incise food as this will dislodge the dentures. Chew slowly using both sides of your mouth at the same time to prevent the denture from tipping. Be cautious with hot and hard foods. As you become accustomed to chewing, add other foods until you return to your normal diet.

New dentures can lead to minor irritation or discomfort. You will be given review appointments to ensure the comfort of the denture and for relieving any sore spots that may arise.

Do not bite the denture into its position, as this will result in stresses to both your teeth and your dentures leading to fractures.

To keep your denture clean

Brush your denture every day (ideally after every meal) using a soft to medium brush

Use liquid soap or special denture cream with cold or lukewarm water.

Do not use normal tooth paste to clean the denture as it tends to be abrasive to the denture base and leaves a residue.

Do not use hot or boiling water as it can cause the denture to crack or distort.

It is best to clean your denture over a basin of water or a folded towel to prevent any damage from occurring should you drop them accidentally.

You can also soak your denture for 10 minutes using a special solution or tablet following the product manufacturer’s instructions.

If you are wearing a partial denture, do not forget to brush your remaining natural teeth too to keep them healthy.

Care at night

It is recommended that dentures are removed overnight to allow your gums to rest and the blood supply to restore the tone of the underlying tissue. Ensure that the denture is kept moist in a container of water when it is not in your mouth, as it can otherwise dry out and distort out of shape.

An implant-retained denture is a type of overdenture that is attached to implants with special attachments. This is usually either a bar and clip system as shown in figure 1(a,b) or a locator/ball and housing attachment as shown in figure 2(a,b).

Your implant-retained denture will be more secure than a regular denture. You will find that you won’t have to worry about the denture becoming loose or falling out of your mouth.

Possible complications of implant-retained dentures

The clip attachments can fracture due to metal fatigue with continued use, and the locator nylon attachments will wear overtime. It is simple to have them replaced when this occurs.

Looking after your implant-retained prosthesis

Look after the denture in the same way mentioned earlier in the brochure, taking care to brush carefully where the implant attachments are housed within the denture base.

Also, ensure you brush the implant attachments in your mouth to ensure you maintain healthy gums around your implants.